2018 - A Year in Review and the Year Ahead

Looking back, 2018 was a season of ups and downs, but in the end, I can say that it will largely go down as a success. I managed to pick up two big top ten finishes at St. Anthony's Triathlon and Escape from Alcatraz (8th place at both). Unfortunately, my season was ended shortly after Alcatraz due to a nagging calf injury that reared its ugly head after over two years of hibernation.

For St. Anthony's, this finish was long in the making, as it's the first time I've cracked the top 10 at this event in the ten years since my first appearance. The caliber of competition is always quite high, and putting together a solid race after a few tough seasons was very rewarding.

Did so well, I had to pee in a cup (I passed, shocking, I know)

In regard to Alcatraz, this was my first start at the historic event, and a very memorable one at that. This years event marked the culmination of the Escape Triathlon Series, a short course race series comprised of 5 events across the country. Due to my performance last year at the Nations Triathlon, I secured a start position in the pro division at this years event. I'd always considered this event in the past, but the cross country travel, combined with an extremely demanding bike and run course had always given me pause. However, with short course racing opportunities being scarce these days, I figured I'd roll the dice, and I'm glad I did. Although I would've rather finished a bit higher in the standings, and made some silly errors in the race, I can't be unhappy at a top 8 performance at this iconic, and brutally challenging event.

Calm sunrise shot, before the mayhem begins

As mentioned above, my season was unfortunately ended prematurely due to a reoccurring calf injury. I've had calf issues similar to this in the past, but haven't had troubles for over two years. I set to getting in treated as quickly as possible, which, in hindsight, seems to have set me back even more. Instead of allowing the muscle/fascia to calm down a bit after the initial onset, I got aggressive with the deep tissue treatment. I finally acknowledged this, but only after several weeks of minimal progress. Though, I'm now happy to report that all systems are go, and I'm slowly building up my run fitness and strength, while putting a particular emphasis on calf and hamstring stretching, as these seem to be directly related to all of my lower leg issues.

Looking forward to 2019, there are big changes already in the works. The biggest of all would have to be the fact that, after 15 amazing years, I'm no longer residing in the Wilmington/Cape Fear region. I've made the move over to the western side of the state, to the town of Boone, to be with my significant other, Samantha, and my equally significant other, Mimsy the puggle.

Sam likes the water. Mimsy, not so much.

This move has been long in the making, and it feels good to have us all living together again, and not separated by 900 miles. Boone also provides great opportunities for training, that will prove invaluable. With some of the most challenging terrain on the east coast, the Appalachian region in North Carolina will be a prime base of operations for next season, and seasons to come. I've already begun a new partnership with one of the best cycling resources in the area Rhoddie Bicycle Outfitters in near by Blowing Rock.

Rhoddie, and it's owner Brian Sain, provide a wealth of knowledge for all things 2 wheel related in the region. You can find me at Rhoddie several days a week, helping folks explore everything from the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the lesser known gravel roads that make this place special. Stay tuned through the winter for more updates as I expand into new opportunities in 2019.

One Year, One Update (you can thank me later)

So, a year has passed. I'm a little older, a little wiser...well, maybe just older. No doubt you've been wondering what I've been up to this past year. Here's some incoherent ramblings about some things and stuffs.

US Pro Tri

I'm excited to announce that this year I have been, and will continue to race for US Pro Tri. The team is comprised of pro triathletes primarily from the east coast of the US. I'm very excited to be a part of the team this year, and hope that our partnership continues into the future.

Yes, the kit is quite...uh...distinct. I will say this though, you can't miss us at a race

Savageman

Last weekend, I raced the Savageman triathlon at Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland. For those unfamiliar with this race, it is most famous for the bike course, which features numerous climbs above 20% gradient. The most famous of these climbs is the Westernport Wall; a brutal climb that averages 12% for 1.2 miles and maxes out at 31%. The road is so steep and in such poor condition, that the steepest segment has long since been closed to motor vehicle traffic.

Rock Street. Fitting name as it appears it was originally paved with rocks.

The scene at "the wall" is quite a site. Spectators line the road on the toughest sections, cheering people on as they attempt to make it up the wall without putting a foot down (or falling). Those who make it up successfully are rewarded with a personally engraved brick that will be used to pave the upper section of the wall. If you don't want to make an attempt, there is an alternate route (longer) that you can take to avoid the hardest sections (but what's the fun in that?). You'll see folks absolutely burying themselves to make it up. The cruel joke is that once you make it, you're only 19 miles into the 56 mile bike leg. Oh, and you still have to climb another 5+ miles before you top out on Savage Mountain.

The remainder of the bike is riddled with climbs maxing out in excess of 20%. I managed to hold the lead until about mile 23 on the bike. Fading a bit towards the end of the bike, I came into T2 in 7th place. The run course is still quite a hilly affair, with approximately 1700 feet of elevation. I managed to pull back one person to finish in 6th place overall. I was only three minutes out of 3rd place though, which was a bit annoying for such a long race, but that's how it goes.

Though it may be tough, I can't say enough good things about this race. The scenery is spectacular. You hardly see a car the entire time you're on the bike. I would highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a change from your typical boring, overcrowded triathlon. And if the half distance is a little intimidating for you, there's an olympic distance race the day before.

Other Races

I did some other races. Some were good, some not so good. This past weekend, I managed to successfully defend my Swim the Loop title from last year. Swim the Loop is another race that I can't recommend enough. It's a course that rewards a well rounded open water swimmer, due to the changing currents and conditions throughout the race. Sighting is crucial on this course, and if you're not good at it, you'll quickly find yourself adding distance to your swim.

Earlier in the season, I had to deal with some IT band issues, which proved to be quite frustrating. Though I'm happy to report that I'm healthy, and training is going according to plan. My last race of the season will take me down to Venice, FL for the Challenge Florida half iron distance race. I raced this same course two years ago when it was owned by Rev3. The course is familiar, and the flat, fast layout tends to suit me well.  

That's all for now kiddos, you can go back to watching cat videos now.

The WBWC

As the Wrightsville Beach World Champioships (aka: the WBWC, aka: Wilmington YMCA Triathlon, aka: the "At least we're not in Myrtle Beach" Triathlon)  draws to a close, let us take a moment to reflect on past editions of this glorious event.

Ok, you done? Moving on.

It's unfortunate, almost sad in a way, that this years edition of the WBWC coincided with the week long UCI Road World Championships. Clearly, the attention that the WBWC has received all week (what with all the tri pundits weighing in on odds), another great event is forced to take a back seat to one far superior. Bradley Wiggins must not know how to feel. On the one hand, the guy wins the World Time Trial Championships, on the other, his accomplishment will go largely unnoticed.

Wiggo, nonplussed indeed

It's like solving a crossword puzzle in a TV guide. I mean, good for you, those things are hard, but no one gives a crap (and why are you still using a TV guide anyway? who are you, Frank Costanza?).

On to this years edition. I am pleased to announce that I was able to defend my title yet again at the 36th running of the WBWC. Solid swim, bike, and run splits across the board lead to another course record breaking performance. This marks the sixth year that I've won this event, and it feels good to bring home La Tasse Pourpre (the purple coffee mug).

Be jealous, it's ok

And while I don't drink coffee, I figure this mug should be equally at home with the adult beverage of my choice (rubbing alcohol, for the good times).

One final note on the day. Hats off too Mr. Shawn Spencer and Mr. Patrick Farwell, who may have had you thinking you were in Myrtle Beach with their colorful addition to the beach cruiser division.

Don't forget to stretch those hamstrings

Fighting off some serious chaffing, these guys hammered along on a single speed beach cruiser tandem. And for their efforts, they shall receive a free six pack of Schlitz and a half used tub of chamois cream.

Chamois cream application available upon request (from this guy ↑)

Chicago Tri

My apologies for leaving my loyal followers without an update from my last race. You all deserve better. Come on, stop crying. It's not you, it's me.

So, I made it all the way to Chicago and back in one piece. Not that I didn't feel safe while I was there, but driving in the city was nothing short of treacherous. Needless to say, once we reached where we were staying, I didn't drive again until we left.

Waking up on race morning was an interesting experience. The race started at 6am this year, which meant waking up before 4am. The sheer mass of people heading into transition on race morning was a bit overwhelming, especially considering I was running late (as per normal race protocol). I managed to make it to swim start with some time left to warm-up, and we promptly got underway at 6 on the dot. The swim was quite a choppy affair, due in part to the wind coming off the lake, causing waves to reverberate off the adjacent sea wall. I felt pretty good in the water, and comfortably settled into around 8th place for the duration of the swim.

Heading out onto the bike course, I was about 40 seconds down from the front of the race, which was not bad considering the company I was in. They were trying out a brand new bike course for this year, in hopes that it would help with the logistics of running an international and sprint distance race concurrently. The new course took us on a 7 mile out and back section before we entered a maze of upper and lower roads, tunnels, and 180 degree turn-arounds. While this made for a very interesting course, it made it hard to settle into a rhythm. My legs were already not feeling great, and the course only compounded that. I still managed a decent split, but the front-runners (Cam Dye, Greg Bennett) were setting a blistering pace.

Moving on to the run, I tried to get my leg turnover going, and settle into a strong pace. I managed to catch one person, and pull back some time on others, but wasn't quite fast enough to do any serious damage. I did have some great encouragement though from my cheering squad.

Mimsy, Official Support Puggle of Matthew Wisthoff Racing

 Overall, it was a solid race, but not my best. Some days, you just feel flat. I was wondering where my form was from two weeks earlier at Lake Logan. Looking back on the two weeks between though, I can see that I went too hard on some workouts that should have been active recovery. I usually don't have a problem with taking it easy (duh), but when you feel good, it can be hard to rein yourself in. Lesson learned.

A whole bunch of something

Apologies for the post overload; we have some catching up to do.

Where to begin. I have been quite busy lately and haven't really found the time to address my five loyal followers (they may be spam bots, but like true friends, they will never leave me). So, here's a quick rundown of my latest competitive exercising exploits.

As you may or may not know, I often compete with the Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue squad at lifeguard competitions. Being a former full time guard and current sub (though I'm so far down on the list I'm not on the list proper), I still enjoy going to these competitions for fun. Our regional competition was held down in North Myrtle Beach this year, so the decision to attend was easy. Due to the outstanding from performances of everyone on the squad, we were able to defend our overall title from last year. We compete in the small beach division (beaches with less than 100 guards), but managed to score more points than all of the large beach squads as well.

The 2k Beach Run is a painful event, in case you couldn't tell from my facial expressions

Even better, the squad just got back from the national championships, where they placed third amongst small beaches, and 10th overall in the country. So, as is the custom, the beer flowed like wine at the awards ceremony, and shenanigans ensued (did you know that with enough people, you can make a lazy river flow in reverse? neither did I).

A few weeks later when I came too, I found myself in Asheville for the Lake Logan Triathlon. This race is held in one of the most picturesque venues of any race I've done. Definitely one to do if you haven't already.

Purty, ain't it?
(Photo courtesy of the person I took it from)

As an added perk, the international distance race (there's also a half, new this year, and a sprint) has a some money up for grabs for top 3 overall and fastest swim, bike, and run splits. I had an awesome race, and managed to walk away with first place, plus the fastest swim and bike splits. Everything came together, and I felt really solid the whole way through.

So thats it as far as racing related activities. In other news, I have recently taken the position as primary class-setter-upper-guy at the Without Limits Computrainer Studio, aka the CPWWTGDOTGT. If your'e unfamiliar with what the computrainer studio is, read the following post I did a while back outlining, in detail, the features and benefits of the system. In short, it is the most effective and efficient way to gain fitness on the bike. Even just one ride a week on the computrainer can have dramatic impacts come race day. Most folks just get out on the road and just go through the motions, without focus or purpose. The computrainer forces you to take control of your workouts so that you receive maximum benefit. You can click the link here to see the schedule of classes and sign up.

Looking forward, I've got the Chicago Triathlon coming up on August 24th. This race is apart of the highly competitive, olympic distance focused, Life Time Series. Now, I know what your'e thinking. Why is the network famous for movies and shows about dead-beat ex-husbands, and strong, independent women running a nation wide triathlon series? Will they add in a forth leg where you have to fight off a drunk divorcee, or evade a purse snatcher? Sadly though, it is a different Life Time that sponsors this series, not the one that has provided such a plethora cinematic gold. For example, we need not look any further than the 2007 blockbuster, I Me Wed. 

Woman marries herself, sheer brilliance. Watch out M. Night Shyamalan

If you want to borrow the DVD, let me know (killer deleted scenes and interviews).

Swim, Crap, Run

Swim, Crap, Run

So, as you may have inferred from the title, things didn’t go quite as planned this weekend. This past weekend, I traveled to Philadelphia for the TriRock Philadelphia Triathlon (formerly the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon). Due to my injuries over the winter, this was my first major race of the year. I know I’m not in peak shape right now, but I figured the race would be a good indicator of where I’m at. 

Ok, the race wasn’t total crap, more like it was sprinkled with crap, primarily focused on the bike leg. The swim was fairly average. I let the lead pack get away from me, but led the chase group into T1. For how I’ve felt in the water lately, I was ok with this. 

Here’s where it starts to get stinky. On the bike, you hit the first of 4 climbs (per lap) a couple miles into the course. Primarily due to the bad winter Philly had, the roads were in bad shape. On the descent of the first climb (a relatively technical stretch of road), I managed to nail some rough patches, which in turn broke some of the zip ties that were holding my bottle cage in between my aerobars (I’ve been racing this setup for years, never once had a problem). It was so loose, that I nearly lost the bottle (which, at this point in the race was completely full) on the next few corners. I decided then that the only solution was to shove the bottle down the front of my trisuit. So, approaching full on Fred status at this point. The only time I could drink was on the climbs, because I had to get out of my aerobars to remove the bottle. Not ideal, but not devastating either. I just figured I would get it down fast, and toss it at the aid station. However, it wasn’t long before I got dealt another steaming pile of misfortune. On another particularly fast and pothole filled descent, I drilled another chunk of pavement, which caused my seatpost to slip down quite a bit. Sounds like I need to fire my mechanic, don’t ya think? And we haven’t even hit the second lap yet; it gets better.

Under USAT pro rules, you are required to follow the stagger rule. The stagger rule states that no matter how far behind you are, you always have to be staggered off the person in front of you. As we started the second lap, we were joined by some age group athletes starting their first lap. On the approach to an uphill, right hand turn, I was passed by an age grouper. I continued to ride the ideal line leading up to and through this uphill corner, which just so happened to be behind the rider in front of me. I’m usually very sensitive to my position to avoid receiving a penalty, and thought nothing of the line I was taking. Apparently, the official didn’t approve, and I was handed a 1 minute stand-down penalty (i.e. you have to come to a complete stop, unclip both shoes, and wait 1 minute) for stagger rule violation. I’ve been racing under these rules for 6 years now, and I’ve never received a penalty until now. However, I think the official had me confused with someone else, because he remarked that he has had problems with me in the past. Regardless, it was a quite the kick to the gut, while I was already in the fetal position. 

At this point, I was well out of touch with the race up the road. I decided I would get through the rest of the bike as best I could, and try to salvage a decent run. I figured I was going to see someone finish while exiting T2, but I was pleased to see that there were still some guys around that I could race, and my deficit to the front hadn’t reached “pity clap” levels. I managed to stick with one fellow through about 2.5 miles, until he slowly pulled away from me. Much like the swim, my run split was satisfactory. I could feel some tightness in my hip flexors, most likely from having to slide back on my saddle after it slipped, pinching off my hip angles. 

Boy-o-boy, what fun. As bad as it was, I can still say I’ve had worse. While in Germany 2 years ago, I combined much of the misfortune above with a flat tire, which I rode for the last 7 miles to get to T2. To make matters worse, my chocolate flavored gel exploded all over me, make it look like I had quite literally “s#!% the bed.”   

Spring Update

So, I know many of you have been sitting around the past few months, feeling depressed and sensing something missing in your lives. Fear not my followers, for I have a new blog post. Please keep the crying and hysterics to a minimum. I know this is an emotional time, but seriously, keep it together, it's embarrassing. There's a lot to cover, so lets get started.

Since my last post, things have been looking up. I managed to compete in my first and second triathlons of the season, as well as an open water race. The tri's were fairly uneventful, but good indications of early season fitness. The first was the Buck Hurley Triathlon up in Salisbury, NC. This race was a sprint with a 300 yard pool swim to kick things off. Buck Hurley is a small race, but one that offers a decent little prize purse. I was able to secure second place, and a $250 check for my efforts. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the time trial start, I did not know that I had finished second until after the time gaps were factored in. Had we been racing side-by-side, I would have tripped the guy and won. Still, I had a good performance, and was pleased to be back racing again.

Fast forward one weekend, and we come to the second triathlon, the Carolina Beach Double Sprint. Many of you may remember this event from when it was held in Kure Beach for several years. Due to some falling out with the Town of Kure Beach, the race took a one year hiatus, and returned this year a few miles up the road in Carolina Beach. The race features a unique format, which involves swimming 375 meters, running 1.5 miles, biking 12 miles, running 1.5 miles, and finishing with another 375 meter swim. I love this event for the two swim, open ocean format. It's also great because it gives you several opportunities to work on transitions. I managed to improve my placing from the week before to finish first overall, and claim my first victory of the 2014 season. I was a bit more tired for than the week before, but managed to stay controlled and put in an even paced performance.

Moving right along, this past weekend I had to great honor of competing in the first ever Stoked to Go Out! Grey Liston Memorial Swim.

For those who have not know, Grey was a very good friend of mine who passed away last year in a climbing accident. You can read my post about Grey here. I am so glad I was able to make this event. A few months ago, I had already planned to be racing a tri on the same weekend. I had to cancel the tri because I didn't feel I could reach top form in time due to my injury. As the weekend drew closer, I realized I could probably still race the triathlon, but in the end I found it was more important to be with the Liston's, and everyone else who loved Grey. As for the race itself, the conditions could not have been better. Prefect offshore, glassy conditions under sunny skies. We were allowed to wear wetsuits due to the 70 degree water, but I chose to go without. Having done so many open water swims with Grey over the years, I knew that he liked to keep things pure and hated wetsuits. It felt great, and I still managed to pull out third place. The best part of the whole weekend was being able to see all of the people who traveled to be here for Grey. My house turned into a little bed and breakfast for a few days, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Still with me? So you may be asking yourself, "how do I get awesome like Matthew Wisthoff?" Well, at the Center for People Who Want to Triathlon Good and Do Other Things Good Too (CPWWTGDOTGT), aka Without Limits Coaching, we are always thinking of new ways to inflict pain on yourself, so that you can inflict said pain on others. I present exhibit A:

Owweee

If you don't know what this is a picture of, It's a good chance that the guy/gal that beat you last week does. This is a simulated hill workout that we did at the Without Limits Computrainer Studio the other morning, and I can tell you it is one that will bring grown men to tears. Every year, more top pros are turning to indoor training tools, such as the Computrainer, to get the job done effectively and efficiently. My first major goal of the season will be the Philadelphia Triathlon on June 22nd. It's not the toughest course around, but it has a few punchy climbs that can zap your legs for the run if your not ready for them. Doing workouts like this will get me ready to handle to the power surges that you experience on hilly courses. Being that the biggest climb around here is a bridge, this is the only way to properly prepare. If your'e doing a race with any appreciable elevation gain, this is the best way to adapt and make yourself ready for race day. Heck, even if it's a flat race, the ergometer mode can essentially program your body so that you settle into your pace without even thinking. You can go to http://coaching.iamwithoutlimits.com/ to get started and sign up for a class.

So, all that writing and only two pictures. Gotta fix that. You guys ever seen a stuffed monkey on a swing, with a bottle of Patron, and a plastic sword?

His name is Squirrel

Welcome Back to the Program

You're probably wondering what I've been up to these past few months (or not, it's ok, you can tell me), and why I was absent from Azalea Fest Worlds yesterday. Long story short, it's been a rough winter. I don't really feel like getting into all of it, so I'll give you the bullet points.

-Calf injury caps off the end of last season
-Calf heals with rest, but mysterious patellar tendonitis pops up in other knee with no activity
-Both clear up (for the most part), and I'm back to training
-Super cold morning run, calf flares up again
-1 week off, no good; 2 weeks off, still no good
-Possible tear, 6 more weeks off

Damn you Phil

To cap it all off, I recently missed a full week of training due to the flu/bronchitis/some gnarly s#!@, that lingered for another week or so. I figure if I go Bill Murray style from Groundhog Day, and take out Punxsutawney Phil, I should clear right up. What's the worst that could happen.

Don't drive angry

Alright, enough Debbie Downer crap. On the bright side, not being able to run has it's perks. Today, I competed in the Tom Dula's Revenge gravel road race up near Wilkesboro. This is a really fun 50 mile road race that includes about 15 miles of dirt and gravel roads. It was a very challenging course, and my form was a bit lacking, but I had fun with it.

A couple of these stream crossings spiced things up on the final 11% gravel climb.
credit: Andrew Stackhouse 

If I go too long without some sort of race stimuli, I get a little crazy. The race was just the kind of ass whopping I needed to get me fired up for the rest of the season. Had I raced Azalea Fest yesterday, I would have never had a chance to do this race. I am already planning on doing Boone-Roubaix (same style race, but with bigger climbs) at the end of the month to keep things rolling and race myself into some good form.

Still reading? I admire your tolerance to pain.

Oh, and one final note. In case this blog just isn't fulfilling your Matthew Wisthoff needs (let's be honest, can you ever be fully satisfied?), you can check the Star News sports section, where 4 local triathletes and I are being featured in a year long story about triathlons and junk. Here is a link to the first article, and here is a link to the blog.

Thanks for reading. As a parting gift, here's a super throwback/OG pic from one of my first races. Enjoy.

Azalea Fest, circa 2005 I think. It was a bit wet that day.

For Grey

I've been trying to write this for a while, and it's been tough. Today seemed like a good day.

On July 20, 2013, one of my best friends in the world passed away. Grey Liston was on his latest of many adventures, climbing Mount Olympus, when he fell and lost his life. I've known Grey since we were freshman in college swimming for UNCW. Grey was my roommate, teammate, fellow WB lifeguard, but most importantly, a loyal friend. Truly great friends are hard to come by these days, and I'm just glad to have known Grey while he was on this earth.

One of the great things that Grey and I shared was our love of open water swimming. Whether it was a pier to pier swim with the team or a horizon swim with the lifeguard squad, we both craved the challenge and adventure. Last weekend, I competed in the Pier2Pier race at Wrightsville Beach. This is an event Grey dominated on numerous occasions. While I didn't have the greatest result, getting the chance to honor Grey's memory (as well as another former Seahawk, Ryan Young) was comforting. Seeing former teammates and lifeguards who knew Grey was a great experience.

Today, I competed in another race that Grey enjoyed, the Wilmington YMCA Triathlon at Wrightsville Beach. True to form, Grey would absolutely annihilate the swim portion of this race, swimming so fast that one year he finished the swim before they even had the timing matts out. It was a bit nasty today, as it rained all morning long. I was feeling a bit sluggish warming up, and started to doubt my form a bit. I thought about what Grey would do. He'd charge the swim so hard that no one would have a chance to stay with him. He wouldn't think about how tired he felt or bonking later on; just start hammering right out of the gates. So that's what I did. I went out hard and didn't look back. When I thought about backing off, I could hear Grey telling me to quit being a bitch and go! Even when victory was all but certain, I continued to drive on, turning myself inside out. That's what Grey would have done. No mercy, just charge it. Crossing the line, I knew I had done Grey proud.

Grey meant so much to so many people. Those of you who knew him can surely attest to his fun loving attitude and genuine nature. His passing came too soon, but his legacy will continue to inspire friends and family to never take one day for granted. There's so much more that I can't even put into words. In the end, I miss my friend, but we'll meet again some time.

I've been combing through old photos, trying to pick a good one. I think this sums it up well. Love ya Greyman.

Full tilt at Park Ave, keep charging Grey

White Lake International Triathlon (no, it's not the one with Al Trautwig in Hawaii, it's different, you see there are many different distances...aw screw it, who cares)

It seems like only yesterday that I was racing the quintessential spring classic that is White Lake Sprint. Fast forward to today, and were back at White Lake for the fall'ish international distance race. I have a history with this course of going very hard on the bike and subsequently imploding on the run. However, today I am happy to say that I was able to contain my excitement, and take the victory with a very well balanced and dosed effort. I biked almost a minute slower than last year, but ran just about 4 minutes faster. I'd say thats a fair trade. It was still a hard fought win, with James Haycraft breathing down my neck as he laid down an impressive bike run combo. And the reward for such a demanding effort? Well, as we all know, rural Bladen County is steeped in a rich Japanese heritage. So it was only fitting that the winners today received traditional miso soup bowls and spoons.

Miso happy I won

Unfortunately, as you can see in the photo, I had an accident. While the bowl managed to avoid certain peril when I drove away with it on top of my car, it was not so lucky when I got home. As any true man would, I was attempting to carry every single triathlon play thingy in my car all at once, when I dropped the bowl, breaking one of the handles off. While I am deeply saddened by that my actions resulted in this unfortunate accident, I have no regrets, and will continue to refuse to take more than one trip to carry in my belongings. yolo

In other news, for those of you that don't know, I have been training under the guidance of Tom Clifford (Without Limits Coaching) for the past 6-7 weeks. Tom is big on the use of Compu-Trainers (computer controlled resistance bike trainer) for very focused and effective bike workouts. Shameless plug: the damn thing works. I've been doing all of my quality work on the Compu-Trainer at the Without Limits Compu-Trainer Studio over the past month and a half, and I am amazed how fast I was able to regain my fitness after being in an overtraining slump for most of the year.

Lot's of ride options, including multi-rider so you can train side-by-side with friends, regardless of ability 

Analyze your pedaling efficiency in real time

As you can see from the photos above, there's a lot more going on with than just riding your bike without going anywhere. Coming from a guy who typically hates riding the trainer (I think I rode indoors three times this winter), the constant stream of data keeps you engaged, and makes workouts go by fast.

Currently, I'm training at the lowest volume I have in years, but I'm performing at or above previous results. Take today for instance. I'm probably no fitter than I was last year at this time, but I was able to settle into my threshold pace and stay there for the whole race. Last year, I was spiking my power all over the place, and struggled to find a rhythm, which resulted in a sub-par run. Being able to set the trainer right at your calculated threshold in a way "programs" your body so that when you race, you're able to maintain a high and consistent output without even thinking about it. Click here, or just ask me if you want to learn more about this highly effective training tool. Whether your time crunched, or just want to get faster in less time, you need to check this out.

So what's next you ask? Only the single most important race on the international calendar. Of course I am referring to the Wrightsville Beach World Championships (aka Wilmington YMCA Triathlon). This is not to be confused with the Azalea Festival World Championships held earlier this year. Every year, over 1000 athletes put it on the line in hopes of winning the coveted...well, you never quite know what there gonna hand out, but chances are it might get "lost" in all the excitement.

Circa 2007 throwback victory, rockin the jammer, what a kook

On the mend again...

So I'm about half way back from Maine (Rev3 Old Orchard Beach), and I know one thing for certain. If you see the following sign, you might want to consider turning around.

Just shoot me now

It's funny how soon you forget just how awful it is to travel north. Between the endless toll roads and mind numbing traffic, it's no wonder why everyone is heavily self medicated these days. But once you get to Maine, it's pretty cool. You just have to negotiate your way through the sea of human detritus in between.

Ok, that brings me to my bitching quota for the month.

In other news, I'm happy to say that after a successful round of treatments on my leg, I am back on track with my training. As mentioned above, I raced the Rev3 triathlon in Old Orchard Beach, ME yesterday. Rev3 puts on a great race, and the location in Old Orchard Beach was perfect. While it was not my best result (14th Pro), it was the first race in a long time that I didn't have any nagging pains before, during, or after. After some navigational errors made by the lead swimmer, the swim broke up a bit coming into the last turn buoy. I came out of the water in 9th place, but lost a couple spots in the long run to T1. Out on the bike, I decided to take a more conservative approach. It was an out and back course that was net uphill until the turnaround. It was a good strategy, as I was able to finish the bike strong and get on the to run with legs that weren't to burned up. The run course was a similar affair, so I took the same approach  and was pleased to negative split the run by a few seconds. While I didn't run super fast, it was a decent time, and I was able to hold my form together from start to finish.

So, I mentioned above that I had some treatment done (Graston) to my leg. If your not aware of this treatment, it basically involves scraping across your muscles and fascia with some specially designed metals tools (picture the handle of an eating utensil) and lubricant. It's about as pleasant as it sounds, but I swear it works. I had it done years ago on an adhesion that was giving me issues, and it worked like a charm. However, I knew that with the problems I was having, it was going to take following up with a strict regimen of exercises and stretching to prevent recurrence. In addition to the usual preventative measures (foam roller, balance exercises, etc...) I decided to incorporate ice baths into my routine. Ice baths a great at flushing all of the crap in your legs after a hard training session as well as prevent delayed muscle soreness. However, ice baths can be a pain in the ass, especially in the summer. You usually need 3 bags of ice to get it remotely cold enough. Thankfully, Jon Duplessis over at Accent Physical Therapy has just installed an ice therapy bath that is kept between 45-48 degrees.

Jus' chillin'

  Being able to have everything ready when you get there is crucial. Get done with a super intense brick or track session, rinse off, and hop in. It's amazing how much better I feel at work having soaked for 15 minutes after a tough morning workout. The ease of which I can get in and out means that I do it more often. It's easy to just say screw it when you have to lug around a bunch of 5 pound ice bags, only to have them half melted by the time you get home.

Ok, so what else is new. I did move into a sick new pad. It's a really old house back on Bradley Creek.

Charming, isn't it

Great front porch to post up on and pick off squirrels and other intruders.

Our dock on the creek

We have a shared dock out on Bradley Creek. Great spot to launch a paddle board or surf ski. And if you don't mind dysentery, we've got all the oysters you can eat. 

Sun room/Dance hall

The sun room is no doubt the coolest part of the house. We will be renting it out for corporate events and school dances.

On a final note, the Mf'ing CEO himself, Kenny Powers, made an appearance at Bike Cycles to film the a scene for the final season of East Bound and Down. Kenny Powers is the reason I keep pushing every day to be the best at working out.

Creepin' a photo op during make-up 

 

We was robbed

So, you might have already seen this floating around if you've been in any athletic stores the last few days. Apparently someone thought it would be funny to put Willem Dafoe on the cover of Endurance Magazine.

Sneaky basterd

Dafoe's career has been going downhill ever since Platoon, and this is clearly a last chance stab at glory. Unfortunately, it was my glory he tried to steal. Lets just say I took care of it.

Those were crazy times

War is hell, but triathlon, now that's some serious s!@#.

Columbia Triathlon Report

Seems like the rain is following me everywhere I go this year. I suffered through another wet and soggy one today at the Columbia Triathlon in Columbia, MD today. One of the great things about this race though is the fact that I grew up in near by Catonsville, and know the lay of the land.

"Well, at least you're not in Arbutus"

Unfortunately, that was not much help today. After a mediocre swim and poor bike, I was to far back to have any impact on the race when it came to the run. I decided to back off a bit on the run to avoid unnecessary wear and tear on the hilly and technical run course. At Knoxville two weeks ago, I ran lights out (which is a little depressing when I saw my split) and my calves were so sore it took the whole week to feel remotely recovered. I still have some slight nagging pains in my left calf, so pushing hard when I was well out of the money would have been foolish.

Looking forward, I am excited to announce that I will be working with Coach Brooks Doughtie of All Out Multisport based in Raleigh. Brooks has built a great group of athletes, specifically youth, junior, and elite squads targeting draft legal as well as non-draft legal formats. Clubs like these are the future of the sport in the US, developing younger athletes for the highly competitive international junior and senior elite ranks.

I have been primarily self coached over the past several years with varied success. Being objective with yourself can be a tricky thing. I have found that I am pretty good with reading my body (its a quick read, short chapters make you feel smart), but inevitably find myself making poor decisions that stifle growth. It is my assertion that the past two performances are symptomatic of these poor decisions. The fitness is sufficient, but a few missteps have lead to sub-par results.

Save UNCW Swimming and Diving

To the 10's of fans of my blog, you may or may not know that I am an alumni of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. During my four years at UNCW, I competed on the division 1 swimming and diving team. Just this past season, the men's swimming and diving team captured their 12th straight Colonial Athletic Association Championship, cementing their legacy as one of the most dominant programs in the conference across all sports. Both the men's and women's team's have also sent student-athletes to the NCAA championships, showing influence on a national stage that is uncommon for similar mid-major programs. However, a recent report released by the Intercollegiate Athletics Review Committee has recommended cutting the men's and women's swimming and diving programs along with three others (Softball, Men's Indoor Track, and Men's Cross Country) due to budget concerns. The university wishes to divert the money saved to help make "revenue" sports like Basketball more competitive. I put revenue in quotes because the Basketball team had the largest deficit last year ($1.1 million) of any sports team. Seeing as the Basketball team has failed on the court and in the classroom (ineligible due to grades last year for post-season play) with a budget of $1.6 million, lack of money doesn't seem to be there problem. The swimming and diving programs at UNCW have the smallest budgets of any other swimming and diving teams in the conference. Yet, year after year, the team gets the job done with high average GPA's and graduation rates,  and an unprecedented string of confernece titles. Clearly we have some amazingly talented people working with the swim and dive team that would be lost if these cuts go through.

Collegiate athletics programs should be valued by more than just dollars and cents. These are university programs that help produce some of the most influential and successful members of our community. Lessons learned on the field of play are invaluable supplements to those learned in the classroom. As an alumni of the program, I can say that it has been one of the greatest influencing factors on my life thus far. I urge you all to please help raise awareness anyway you can to help save not just the swim team's, but also the other team's on the chopping block. The athletics program at UNCW is one big family, and if you take away even just one, the family is at risk of falling apart. Whose to say that any of the other programs are safe if this precedent is made. One way to show your support is by clicking on the following link to sign a petition stating that you support the UNCW Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving programs.
https://www.change.org/petitions/uncw-chancellor-gary-miller-save-uncw-swimming-and-diving

Thanks for your time, and as Coach Allen always says, "it's a great day to be a Seahawk".

Rev3 Knoxville Race Report

As you may already know, if you live in the eastern half of the country, the weather was absolutely gorgeous this weekend at the Rev3 Knoxville Triathlon. Steady rains and 50 degree air temps made for a pleasant ride through the foot hills surrounding the downtown area. Not knowing whether a puddle of water was hiding a wheel-eating pothole forced me to call on my years of minesweeper training:

Oh s#!@, I'm in trouble

Alright, so it was actually quite unpleasant. (WARNING: Excessive bitching ahead, reader discretion advised) My lack of bike course knowledge proved to be costly. I found myself braking to much in some areas and overcooking corners in others. The rain and poor viability made it hard to navigate the course at race speed. I came out of the swim in pretty good shape, but kept loosing contact with faster riders as they came by me. I also froze my ass off, a condition I can trace back to before the race started. After donning my wetsuit, I realized I forgot to put on my usual cold weather embrocation (tiger balm). Usually used for pain relief, I've found that it works really well to help get and keep blood flowing on cold days.

As usual, I was cutting my prep-time extremely close and did not have enough time to remove my suit and apply. Fortunately, I was able to turn in a decent run and limit my loses. When all was said and done, I finished 15th on the day. Not what I was hoping for, but I was happy I was able to mentally stay in the race after a sub-par bike. Post race, I was hacking up a lung for a good 2 hours. During the race I was spitting up a combination of sports drink and energy gel that left me with a pretty raw esophagus. Still not quite sure what that was all about. I guess maybe I should't have taken Towlie's pre-race advice:

Getting high in the Sun Sphere

Ok, so maybe I took his advice a too literally. I took this photo from the Sun Sphere at the Worlds Fair Park in Knoxville overlooking the race finish/expo area. The Sun Sphere is a giant gold globe on top of a pedestal that you can see from all around the city. I did what Towlie said, and got as high in the sphere as I could, but I don't think it helped.

The next race on my schedule will be the Columbia Triathlon up in Maryland. Much like Knoxville, it's a challenging course that ensures no one is getting a free ride. However, having raced Columbia before and grown up close by, I know the course well and enter with confidence.  

The Hell of The North (Bladen County)

Well, it was a truly epic day at the Queen of the Classics that is the White Lake Sprint. With epic rough road sections and epically cold water temperatures, Oxford English will have to add White Lake Sprint to their list of definitions for epic. For decades to come, old men in taverns from here to Burgaw will wax poetic about the 2013 edition of l'enfer du Nord or, The Hell of the North Bladen County. Middle-aged men will pay thousands of dollars to ride guided tours across the fabled White Lake pavé.

We are so le epic

As I said before in my last post, White Lake Sprint has usurped that little bicycle riding race in France, officially laying claim to all of the aforementioned nicknames. Nobody told Fabian Cancellara until he crossed the finish line at the Roubaix Velodrome. Realizing how lame he was, Fabian pulled a ninja suicide right there in the infield.

 Why didn't I listen to Boonen!

Ok, so I lied. Fabian is still alive after his victory at Paris-Roubaix (if you can call it living, poor guy). If he had only taken Tom Boonen's advice to go race White Lake Sprint, he might have captured the coveted cobbled textured beer mug.

The chalice in all its glory 

But alas, it was not to be. I am pleased to say that I was able to secure the title for the second year running. What made this victory even better was that I was able to share the podium with my good friend and teammate from Germany, Lukas Kampkotter. Lukas is from Hannover, Germany, but has been here in North Carolina for the past month visiting relatives and training. Last year, I had the privilege of racing with Lukas on the Hannover 96 Bundesliga Triathlon Team. For those who don't know, Bundesliga is the German national triathlon organization, which is comprised of different tiers of racers. The first division is the premier division, and the division we competed in while I was there. The first division is comprised of teams from all over Germany, but the teams are usually a mix of domestic and foreign professional triathletes. For example, our team was comprised of several local athletes from Hannover as well as pro's from Denmark and Australia. The races are primarily contested in the draft-legal format in either the sprint or olympic distance. They are quite competitive with former olympians and top World Triathlon Series racers toeing the line on a regular basis. On top of that, the courses are typically quite technical, with some lovely cobble sections sprinkled in just for fun.

19mm Tires should do the trick 

The race itself was a bit more painful than I was expecting. Fatigue from hard training made it difficult to find a rhythm. The only thing that really got me through it was a healthy dose of caffeine. I don't drink coffee or any caffeinated products on a regular basis, so it always helps give me an extra boost on race day. Caffeine is great because, it's a proven ergogenic aid, and, as Towelie would say, "it's not illegal b!#@$!"

Don't forget to bring a towel

It's Classics season and it smells like crap

Its getting to the end of March, and that means the spring classics season is in full swing over in Europe. We are finally getting our first taste of spring here in the Cape Fear. Unfortunately though, I'm not talking about the weather, which has been quite disappointing thus far. I'm talking about crap. Dog crap to be specific. All the fair weather runners are coming out of the wood works, and they're dragging Fido along with them. What they always forget is that Fido isn't allowed to use public restrooms (when will the discrimination end), so he is forced to go on the grass (or the sidewalk, always my favorite). And surprise, they don't have a bag, even though  in many areas, such as the loop at Wrightsville, there's bag dispensers everywhere. So now the rest of us are left dodging landmines as we try to get in a run. And as water warms up, we'll soon be swimming in the channel and the ocean. To help illustrate the problem here, I have included a intricate diagram of a watershed, not unlike the one we all live in.

It always floats downstream

As we can see, the swimmer in the diagram is particularly nonplussed at the sight of poo flowing into the very water he is swimming in. So for the love of god, bag it, scoop it, hell, eat it thats what your in to. 

Alright enough of that s*&%. Getting back to the classics season, which is really heating up with the Tour of Flanders today (warning: minor spoiler ahead). However, many of these riders will have there sights set on the true Queen of the Classics taking place next Sunday. No, I'm not talking about Paris-Roubaix. Nobody cares about that antiquated race anymore. I'm obviously referring to the White Lake Sprint Triathlon. A true test for the specialists, the White Lake Sprint always brings out the hard men of the sport. However, due to an early crash at Flanders today, one of the favorites, Tom Boonen, is questionable for the start on Sunday. 

"I should've just rested for White Lake!"

I wish Tom a speedy recovery, but it will be nice having one less person to worry about.

Sarasota Pan Am Cup-O-Noodles - Now with flavor

 Another weekend, and another race. Although this one can't quite match the clout of the AFWC, it was still fairly competitive. I did have to drive a bit farther though. This weeks adventure took me down to Sarasota, FL for the ITU Sarasota Pan American Cup (the ITU is very creative with their names). For those of you unfamiliar, ITU cup races are contested in the draft legal format and primarily over the international/olympic distance. These races are also known for having the worst prize money to depth of field ratios in the entire sport. For most, these races are used to garner ITU points to build their way up the food chain of races from the Continental Cup level all the way up to the Olympics. For others, it's a great way to get your ass handed to you as the draft legal format can be brutally unforgiving if you make the smallest mistakes.

Unfortunately, this weekend I fell into the later group.

Poor basterd

 If only I could go back Marty McFly style and warn myself. Better yet, I need Marty to go back and hook me up with some of these:

Power laces, truly the future of the sport

 Hell, just give me a damn Hoverboard while we're at it. Seeing as they haven't been invented yet, I could probably talk my way out of a penalty.

Gimme the damn board kid, Matt's in trouble!

 Ok, so I guess the Delorean broke down, because Marty never came to my rescue. Therefore, the following events were allowed to occur.

 After a solid swim, I found myself in postion to easily make the first chase group behind the breakaway of three that had got away. As I made my way through transition, I struggled a bit to unzip my wetsuit. My transition was about 5 seconds slower then most of the other guys, but it was just enough to put me in no-mans-land heading onto the bike course. I formed up a chase group with 4 other guys, but we just couldn't match the fire power of the lead group. We were eventually caught by the second main pack on the road about half way through the bike leg. With the help of the extra horsepower, we managed to mitigate our losses, but still came into T2 with a 2 minute deficit. I tried to channel Jens Voigt, and tell my legs to shut up, but they weren't having any of that. They kept on being like "Dumbass, why'd you bike so hard? Don't you know we aint ready for that kinda crap? Its friggin March man!". Couple of whiny bitches they are. So, with the lower half of my body in full protest, I slogged through the run as best I could. Come to find, my run was not too terribly slow, most everyone else just decided to run fast as hell. I managed to finish 25th on the day, which wasn't so bad, but could have been a good bit better had it not been for a few poorly timed mishaps.

 There were a couple of good takeaways from this weekend though. I was first off the bike and first out of transition from my chase group, which has never happened before. I also managed to not completely crap the bed with my early season fitness (or lack there of). On the other hand, I was also pretty stupid. Instead of being smart and applying sunscreen on my shoulders once I noticed that there wasn't an ounce of shade on the course, I chose to just get fried.

Yeah, too much surface area on those bad boys to ignore.

 Now I'm left with what can best be described as a combination wife beater and deep v-neck tan line on my back.

So Marty, if your reading this, quit playing Huey Lewis and save my ass.